Mark Hannaby The Politics Show Wales

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Rhodri Glyn Thomas: Autism money has suddenly disappeared

It is feared a lack of funding and a watering down of key elements will severely damage Wales' forthcoming national Autism strategy.

Carers for autistic people claim that the Assembly Government has reneged on a promise to provide additional funding to accompany the much-delayed Autism Spectrum Disorder strategy, intended to be the first of its kind in the world.

Plaid Cymru AM Rhodri Glyn Thomas, Chair of the National Assembly's cross-party Autism Group, says the Assembly Government had long promised that specific funding would accompany the strategy.

Mr Glyn Thomas said: "We were told a few months ago in a meeting that that money has suddenly disappeared.

"So all the strategy is now is bringing together the services which are there.

"There is some value in that but it is not going to make a real difference to the lives of families who have members suffering from autism.

"It is a real opportunity which sadly seems to have been lost."

One of the people who sat on the Assembly Government's Working Group on Autism is Sara Hounsell of National Autistic Society Cymru.

Sara is concerned that the proposals that group made on how to take the strategy forward appear to have been watered down significantly by Government Officials.

Sara Hounsell said: "Certainly at the moment key areas around access to services for people with Asperger's Syndrome are training, adulthood and access to employment.

"Those areas need strengthening up considerably if things are to improve in Wales for people and the Autism Community."

Chair of Powys' Autism and Aspergers' Carers Support John Moore knows the pressing need for an effective strategy.

He says services for autistic people across Wales are widely divergent.

Just getting a diagnosis of autism can be a costly struggle, but without that other services are unobtainable.

Some people in Wales can access diagnostic services for autism on the NHS locally.

Others must travel to private clinics across the UK.

Mr Moore believes that without specific Assembly Government funding, its autism strategy is doomed to fail.

He said: "The whole strategy is unworkable if there is no money for implementation of that strategy.

"We have no alternative really but to reject the strategy even just on that basis, that there's no money there to help us implement it."

Public consultation on the strategy won't begin until next April, though its development was announced three years ago.

The Welsh Assembly Government argues the development of the strategy "is both exciting and pioneering" and will give Wales a lead in achieving high quality, uniformly accessible services.

WAG declined to comment on claims regarding a U-turn on funding of the strategy.

Adrian Masters

The Politics Show

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